GFA to change Black Stars backroom staff

The country’s football association’s chief has admitted that there will be series of changes in the Black Stars technical team

Ghana Football Association vice president, George Afriyie, has confirmed that there will be changes in the backroom staff of the Black Stars as Kwesi Appiah stages a comeback on May 1.

The 56-year-old was offered a two-year contract to succeed former Chelsea boss Avram Grant, whose contract expired in February, after failing to win the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations for Ghana hosted in Gabon.

Reports were wild after Appiah’s appointment that, former Cameroon assistant Ibrahim Tanko, Stephen Appiah and Richard Kingson will be the new face of the technical team as Maxwell Konadu and Sabahn Quaye make way.

And although, Afriyie confirmed a portion of the rumours, he was tight-lipped on the aforementioned names that will be axed.

“Kwesi Appiah is the right coach for Ghana looking at the current circumatances. What is important to happen now is that Ghana Football Association have agreed to make changes in the backroom staff [which Avram Grant left behind]. We have the medical and the technical aspect so it will be necessary to sit down with Appiah on the changes,” Afriyie told Royal TV.

“We will not sabotage any decisions from him but we cannot also allow him to bring any coach he thinks can help his course. The GFA must be involved in such crucial decisions because we are planning for the future.

We need someone who can fill the void when he is not around or has landed a lucrative contract in future which is more than what he is going to have now and he is ready to leave.

“If coaches chose their assistants without any input from the GFA in the past, then Appiah wouldn’t have become an assistant under Cluade Le Roy because the Frenchman could’ve said that he will bring his own to feel secured.

“We’re always involved because we want to groom one of our own coaches for the future when the chance avails itself. We can’t leave him to do whatever he wishes to do and let me emphasis that we will scrutinise his decisions including certifications and experiences of those he recommends,” he added.

Appiah’s first game in his second coming will be an international friendly against Mexico and United States on June 28 and July 1 respectively in USA.

Ghana willl use the two games as part of their preparations for the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifying game against Congo in August.